Bloor Street West Complete Street Extension

How Will This Project Impact...

Emergency Vehicles

Emergency Services staff were consulted for comments at several stages of the Complete Street design process. Where Emergency Services were opposed to design elements, that element is taken out or revised to the satisfaction of Emergency Services staff. The current Complete Street design has been reviewed and approved by Emergency Services.

Local Businesses

Acknowledging the concern from local businesses that lane and parking reductions will negatively impact local business, a growing number of studies show that bike lanes have a neutral to positive impact on local merchants.

An economic review of the impact of the bikeways from Avenue Rd to Shaw St found that consumer spending grew more in the target area than in the area surrounding it. Similar results have bene experienced in cities like New York City, Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver, and Montreal.

Seniors and people with mobility issues?

Wheel-Trans data was analyzed and considered during the design phase to ensure high-demand areas are respected. Three accessible loading zones are included in the final design. Once the project is installed, I am prepared to request accessible lay-by spaces in additional locations experiencing high demand.

Vehicle parking along Bloor?

The Complete Streets team has prioritized maintaining existing lay-by parking levels wherever possible. However, this is not always possible, and the total parking will be reduced. The stretch of Bloor St from Runnymede Ave to Aberfoyle Crescent currently has approximately 270 lay-by parking spaces, which will be reduced to approximately 172 spaces. These changes primarily affect the western edge of Bloor West Village and The Kingsway. I am currently looking into opportunities to expand off-street Green P lots in this area.

Traffic congestion on Bloor?

Minimizing the impact to motor vehicle traffic is a fundamental objective of the proposed complete streets design. Through the Bloor West Village area, the intersections are anticipated to generally operate well, though some increases to delay can be expected due to the proposed lane modifications.

These increases will be monitored and mitigated through signal timing adjustments once the project is installed. On the stretch of Bloor from Shaw St to Avenue Rd, similar signal timing adjustments after installation reduced the increase in travel time by half.

Traffic on adjacent residential roads?

The final design includes some features, like turn restrictions, to prevent or reduce cut-through traffic. This will be monitored during and after installation to determine if any changes are necessary.

This is measured by comparing a baseline vehicular traffic count (established before installation) with a post-installation traffic count. This measurement will take place on residential streets identified as having a risk of increased cut-through traffic through a review of the local transportation network and stakeholder & community consultations.

Watch Our Information Sessions

Watch Info Session #1

On February 5, 2024, I held a Bloor West Complete Street Info Session to engage with residents on the project and share more about the project goals, how the project is being measured and monitored, and how the project improves safety for road users.

Watch Info Session #2

On April 4, 2024, I held a second Info Session to share an update on the project and hear from City staff about City-wide road safety + climate objectives, how this project helps us meet them, and how this project will help address local needs we will face as our population continues to grow.

Download slides

Statements

In support of the Bloor Complete Street project

Dear Etobicoke-Lakeshore residents,

Many of the issues facing our City today did not emerge overnight. They are the result of making choices that made sense for the present, but did not anticipate what our communities would need in the future.

Today, the rate of growth has outpaced what our city’s infrastructure was designed for. Etobicoke-Lakeshore is one of the fastest growing wards in Toronto. We’ve grown by more than 24,000 residents over the past ten years, and there are roughly 67,600 new units in the development pipeline now – 15,800 of which have first Planning approval.

We need to build infrastructure that both catches up to current needs, and plans for future growth, to:

Meet the needs of our growing communities.
Today: Last year, Toronto was ranked 30th most congested out of 390 global cities, and the 3rd most congested in North America. There is no room for more roads, and no room on our roads for more cars.
Tomorrow: We have thousands of new units in proposed developments along Bloor, and a provincial mandate to build density around major transit stations. Residents moving into these new units will need safe and accessible transportation options, like cycling and walking.
Contribute to our climate goals through active transportation.
Today: Transportation produces ~36% of Toronto’s emissions, mostly from driving and idling personal vehicles. In 2019, City Council declared a climate emergency.
Tomorrow: TransformTO, the City’s climate action strategy, sets an ambitious goal for residents to walk, bike, or take transit for 75% of school and work trips under 5km by 2030. As we strive to move towards a more sustainable future, reducing our reliance on cars is essential.
Make sure our city is accessible + safe for everyone.
Today: Over the past 10 years, there have been 48 major collisions along Bloor from Runnymede Rd to Resurrection Rd, with 55% involving pedestrians and cyclists. Sadly, a senior pedestrian was killed in a collision at Bloor and Aberfoyle earlier this year.
Tomorrow: The number of people in Toronto aged 65 and over is expected to double by 2041. Purposeful and predictable complete street design features – like increased visibility, curb extensions, separated lanes, and reduced speeds – will protect our most vulnerable road users and help us meet our Vision Zero goals.

Going ahead with the Bloor Complete Street project is not only the responsible choice, it is an urgent choice.

I appreciate the feedback and engagement from residents along Bloor who have most directly experienced the growing pains of installation. I am confident that in the next year – once the project is complete, traffic is monitored, and changes are made – that this new infrastructure will be a positive change for residents and businesses in this area.

I am committed to holding a Town Hall in 2024, once installation is complete, to bring together residents, businesses, and City staff to make sure this project serves our changing community today, and lays the groundwork for a connected, active, and safe transportation network in Etobicoke-Lakeshore tomorrow.

What happens now?

I have been working closely with the Bloor Complete Street project team to ensure your feedback is reflected in the design. I want to express my sincere appreciation for the hard work our City staff have done to record and address community feedback to date, and for their ongoing commitment to ensuring this project meets our residents’ diverse needs.

Project installation is on track for completion in December 2023. Over the next year, I have ensured that the City will:

Observe new travel behaviour along the corridor and on parallel streets.
Conduct traffic counts on affected streets to evaluate before & after conditions.
Continue to collect, record, and analyze feedback.
Make evidence-informed upgrades and improvements.

I encourage you to share your perspective with my office ([email protected]) and the project team ([email protected]), especially if you:

have constructive criticism about specific areas of concern along Bloor.
have questions about the project installation and design.
want to share your appreciation for the project team’s hard work and dedication!

I also encourage you to speak with your friends and neighbours about this project. My staff have heard from many residents with a range of perspectives. While I appreciate that this can be a divisive issue, I strongly believe in the value of working together and learning from each other’s experience and expertise.

Yours in community service,

Amber Morley
City Councillor, Ward 3 Etobicoke-Lakeshore

Installation Timeline

Phase 1 — Runnymede Rd to Aberfoyle Cres

Installation scheduled to begin the week of August 21, 2023.

Over the first several weeks – Reconfiguration of the roadway space will include new pavement markings, the addition of physically separated cycle tracks, and signage denoting adjusted parking and loading limits as well as a speed limit reduction to 40 km/h.

Over the coming months – additional changes to traffic signals, traffic signal timing and sidewalk improvements are planned.

Read the full Phase 1 Installation Notice.

Phase 2 — Aberfoyle Cres to Resurrection Rd

Installation planned for 2024.

The following road safety improvements and complete street elements will be installed along Bloor Street West from Aberfoyle Crescent to Resurrection Road as part of phase 2:

New cycle tracks with physical separation on both sides.
One motor vehicle lane removed in the eastbound direction.
Centre left-turn lane between Aberfoyle Crescent and Green Lanes.

What does this mean for Etobicoke-Lakeshore?

Increased safety for those who walk, cycle, and drive

Over the past ten years, there have been 48 collisions involving fatalities or serious injuries in the project area, and 55% of these serious and fatal collisions included vulnerable road users (pedestrians and cyclists).

This project prioritizes increasing safety for all road users through design features that create predictable traffic movements and reduce conflicts between turning vehicles and other road users.

Better connection to the City’s existing cycling network

Extending the cycling infrastructure west along Bloor creates a stronger connection from Etobicoke-Lakeshore to the City's existing cycling network, and advances our City's Cycling Network Plan.

Currently, there is no safe cycling infrastructure along this stretch of Bloor. Throughout my campaign, and now while in office, I’ve spoken with many Ward 3 residents who are excited to safely bike along on Bloor in these protected cycling lanes.

Transportation options that support sustainable growth

The Bloor Street West corridor is growing. In and around the project area, thousands of new housing units are proposed or currently under review. These new residents will need access to safe transportation and active transportation options.

We are currently experiencing congestion along Bloor, and there is no room for new roads. This project supports the City in achieving City Council's TransformTO goal to provide residents (existing and future) with safe and comfortable options for transit and active transportation.

Bloor St W Complete Street Extension

Save the Date!

Today, the rate of growth has outpaced what our city’s infrastructure was designed for.

Meet the needs of our growing communities.

Make sure our city is accessible + safe for everyone

Contribute to our climate goals through active transportation.